An electronic device such as a personal computer, when reproducing and outputting contents recorded on a storage medium such as Blu-ray or Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), executes a program for reproducing content. By the content reproduction program, the content data recorded on a storage medium are read, in order to display the image on a content display region provided on a display screen, and output sound from a speaker or the like.
The content recorded on a storage medium such as Blu-ray or DVD contain a menu (hereinafter referred to as a content menu) used to select content to be reproduced, or set a type of dubbing (language, etc.) and presence/absence of subtitles, or the like. The content reproduction program displays the contents menu on the content display region in response to an instruction entered by the user to display the menu, or at a timing predetermined by the content to display the menu. The content menu includes a plurality of menu items. The user can select a desired menu item by operating a pointing device or the like to point the cursor at the location of the menu item.
Meanwhile, the content reproduction program contains a menu (hereinafter referred to as an application menu) used to control the content output and set and adjust various functions. When a content is being displayed, the application menu is usually not displayed unless the user operates the pointing device or the like, in order to avoid blocking on the display of the content. The application menu is, when, for example, the cursor is moved by the user with the pointing device or the like, displayed at a predetermined location in the content display region.
Conventionally, display of a content menu and that of an application menu are separately controlled. Therefore, the application menu is in some cases displayed in response to the operation of a pointing device or the like, while the content menu being displayed in the content display region. In the contents menu, the locations of menu items are determined in each content regardless of a program used for reproduction and output. With the fixed locations, when the application menu is displayed, menu items of the content menu are hidden behind the application menu in some cases, which makes it difficult for the user to operate to select a desired item on the content menu.